Yubara Onsen is a hot spring town in Okayama, Japan. The water leaves the ground at 44.9°C, hot. It measures pH 9.23 — strongly alkaline. Officially the water is classed as simple spring. Its sources put out around 6,000 litres a minute. 20 inns take visitors here with room for about 2,000 guests. About 600,000 people a year come to bathe.
Getting there
From Kyoto / Osakaabout 2½ h
JR PassCovers the train
Train to Chūgoku-Katsuyama Station (JR)
Fly into Kansai (KIX) or Itami. Times are rough estimates worked out from station locations, not a timetable — check the exact route on Google Maps.
Simple spring
The water here
Simple spring 単純温泉
Mild and low in dissolved minerals. Usually clear and gentle on the skin, which is why these baths are often recommended for first-timers.
More photographs
From Wikimedia Commons. Tap a photo for the photographer and licence.
Places from Wikidata, photographs from Wikimedia Commons. Distances are in a straight line from the town.
With tattoos
Many public baths still turn away visible tattoos, and the rule is set by each bath, not by the town. The reliable way round it is to bathe privately: a room with its own open-air bath, or an inn with a private bath you can book for yourselves.